Hoar Frost in the Sobaeksu Valley

People have long referred to a flower as a symbol of beauty, hope, happiness and pleasure.

In our life there are so many kinds of flowers like lily and rose, which are called a byname of purity and love and symbol of intimacy and friendliness.

However, it is difficult to find such a flower as hoar frost formed in Chairman Kim Jong Il’s birthplace in the Paektusan Secret Camp, which is beautiful and evokes solemn feeling. The hoar frost in the Sobaeksu Valley heralds the eternal spring of Korea.

The name Sobaeksu is derived from the fact that it meanders around Mt Sobaek. The Paektusan Secret Camp is situated in the primitive forests in the Sobaeksu Valley.

The Sobaek Stream (15.1 km long), which rises from Lake Chon on Mt Paektu, keeps 4-5 ℃ both in summer and winter, never freezing even in the cold of 30-40 ℃ below zero.

The hoar frost formed on the branches of larch, Khingan fir and Yedo spruce in the valley is shining in the sun and the small rocks which are covered with cotton-like snow on the edge of the stream look like white bears sitting crouched–all these present a scenic masterpiece.

Hoar frost formed in February is beautiful and charming in that it does not form thanks to the sunlight but against the snowy wind. So the Korean people visit the Mt Paektu area both in winter and summer and experience firsthand the spirit of the revolutionary forerunners, expressing their admiration for the wonderful scenery of the stream.